February 21, 2013 / 12 Adar 5773

CJHS Makes History at Jewish

IHSA Regionals

In This Issue

Pep Rally

Jewish Semifinals Make

History

IHSA Regionals

New Students

Model U.N. Blog

Purim Schedule

Alumni News: Mazal Tov

CJHS Kicks Off Basketball Championship

Tikkun Olam Corner

The Prints Presents

Cell Phones for Shalva

Jazz Band Concert

Alumni Trivia

Save the Date

A Taste of Torah

Save the Date

Monday, Feb. 25

Shushan Purim

Tuesday, March 5 -

Sunday, March 10

Model U.N. Trip

Thursday, March. 14

Pi Day

Friday, March 15

Friday 2:45 Dismissal

Begins

Monday, March 25

Pesach Break Begins

P. O. Corner

Gelt Program The P.O. is pleased to once again introduce the gift card "Gelt program" to our families and we have made it much easier (look for upcoming email with details on how to register). Faculty and staff can also buy Gelt that will help to support programs provided for the school by the P.O. This program is designed to help families earn money toward their children's junior year Panim program and/or the Senior Israel Experience. The program is a passive earning system, in which you buy the things you ordinarily purchase anyway, and earn money which will be credited to

Basketball post-season began with a bang this week as

our Va'ad

Hastudentim led

the CJHS

student body in

a pep rally to

remember!

Senior M.C.'s

Elan Sykes and

Annie

Schrayer took

the floor to

spotlight all the

hard work and

impressive accomplish- ments of our winter sports

teams. The moment was especially sweet for the four-

year senior basketball veterans of the Lady Tigers, who

finished their season last Saturday night against Ida

Crown with a thrilling 31-29 victory.

your family for designated school trips. If you have any questions, contact Sheri Sandrof at ssandrof@cjhs.org or call her at 847.324.3723.

Community News and Events

Stop and Breathe:

Community Program at

Gidwitz We all wrestle with stress on a daily basis. How we choose to combat it can vary... yoga, meditation, and exercise are common methods. But breathing properly can also be very effective. Take a "time out" for yourself and attend this interactive session to:

Learn how to breathe in

a more healthful way.

Learn how to relax your

mind and body.

Learn the best stress-relieving tools that fit easily into your lifestyle.

Please RSVP at 847.236.7852, or Michelle.Bernstein@cje.net. Light dinner will be served. This event is FREE to the community!

Moriah Welcomes Rabbi

Harold Kushner

Sunday, March 10 5:00 p.m. Moriah Congregation 200 Taub Dr, Deerfield Rabbi Kushner is the author of more than a dozen books including the bestseller When Bad Things Happen to Good People. For tickets, bio of Rabbi Harold Kushner, and additional information visit www.moriahcong.org or call 847.948.5340.This event is co-chaired by CJHS parents Jennifer and Stewart Flink, as well as Sheri and Neil Cooper.

American Friends of

CJHS Lady Tigers vs. ICJA Lady Aces

Israeli War Disabled

Presents...

"Everything Is Illuminated" Sunday, March 17 2:00 p.m. Noyes Cultural Center 927 Noyes Street, Evanston

The Next Theater Company's upcoming production is Jonathan Safran Foer's Everything is Illuminated, adapted for the stage by Simon Block. It chronicles a young Jewish man's journey as he struggles to unlock the secrets of his past. It follows the quirky journey of Jonathan scouring the rural Ukraine landscape in the search of a woman who may have saved his grandfather from the Nazis, accompanied by an old man haunted by memories of the war, an amorous and excitable dog named Sammy Davis Jr. Jr., and an irreverent translator with a unique grasp of the English language

Join us at 1:00 p.m. before the show for an hour of light refreshment and camaraderie at

the Noyes Cultural Center in the studio right next door to the theater entrance. The play begins at 2:00 p.m. Advance copies of the script will be available and we are invited to a special post-show discussion with members of the cast and artistic team.

The cost for this wonderful afternoon is only $36.00 per

person. Make your checks out to AFIWDF.

Sponsor Breakfast

What's better than a birthday celebration with friends? Celebrate your student's birthday or other milestone with a special breakfast at CJHS.

In lighter moments,

sophomore Larry Bender

beat out several close

contenders in the crazy pie-

eating contest of school

spirit, and in yet another

faculty thrashing, the

seniors beat the teachers in

the annual tug o' war

match! (Watch out, you

meddling kids, we'll get you

yet... one of these days!)

The pep rally ended with a

surprise flash mob touched

off by the soon-to-be-

crowned champion men's

basketball team--and the

faculty, who assuaged their

grim defeat with a very

passable Harlem Shake. Go

Tigers!

Many, many thanks to all our stalwart Tiger fans,

especially photographer Tom Snitzer of Snitzer

Photography, who donated his time and expertise to

creating these stunning game photos. (If you have a

simcha or a state championship in your life, you can't ask

for better photo journalism!) Thanks also to our midnight

video editor, Coach Newlander, for the game montages!

CJHS Trounces Roycemore; Ida Crown

Dispatches Cristo Rey

For a donation of $180 (10x chai), bagels, cream cheese, and orange juice will be served to everyone. An announcement will be made in Tefillah and in the dining hall, and the occasion will also be listed in our weekly E-News. If you have any questions, please call 847.324.3713 or email idrazin@cjhs.org. Order forms are available online here.

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Join the Tiger

Club

The men's basketball

team made history

Tuesday night! In the

first round of the IHSA

regional semifinals, our

mighty Tigers beat

Roycemore 79-61,

advancing to Thursday

night's regionals! Jake

Newlander led a

balanced scoring attack

with 13 points as

Daniel Fishbaum and

Joshua Silverman

added 11 each and

Josh Newlander

chipped in 10. Great

was the excitement

when we discovered

that we would be

playing Ida Crown.

Thursday's contest

was the first time in the history of the Illinois High

School Association that teams from two Jewish parochial schools met for a regional championship!

2013 IHSA Regional Semi-finals: CJHS vs. Roycemore

Spirits were high going into Thursday's game: we set off

for Elgin with heads held high. Win or lose, we were

ready to rumble!

Tigers Take

Regionals!

We're front page news in

today's Sun-Times

Sports section!

In overpowering the

Aces 67-38 Thursday

night, the Tigers took

home their second

regional title in the school's 12-year history.

"It's what we worked all

season for. We are so

happy," senior Jake

Newlander told Sun-Times

reporter Jon Kerr. "We're

seniors! We didn't want to

go out with a loss."

Our Tigers forced 10 first-half turnovers off a relentless

full court press, then got two straight turnovers and

scored four quick points. By halftime, the Tigers had

closed on a 21-6 run and led 37-21. The redoubtable

Jake Newlander hit two three-pointers to open the half;

when the lead swelled to 46-23 two minutes into the third quarter, the Tigers started to clear their bench.

"Coach talked about making sure the pressure was on

them," added senior Daniel Fishbaum, who had six

rebounds. "Most of us have been playing ball together

since fifth grade. To be

able to win a regional

championship senior

year means

everything." Sophomore

Josh Newlander had

13 points, while junior

Avidan Halivni added

13 points for the Tigers,

shooting 5-of-6 from

the free throw line. Ida

Crown (6-14) was led

by Elan Kolom, who had

11 points: CJHS

congratulates our

stalwart basketball

rivals on a good game and a great season.

Now.. on to sectionals! Don't put away those air horns

and face paint yet, because the conquering Tigers

continue their winning streak next Wednesday night at

sectionals in Mooseheart, IL. Contact Mr. Gleicher about

the fan bus and stay tuned for more updates, video clips,

and photos from last night's historic game!

Welcome, Freshmen!

Being a nationally famous basketball school has its

advantages: CJHS is delighted to welcome two new

freshmen this week! Julia Mati comes to us from New

Trier, and Michael Weldler hails from Mesivta N'eimus

HaTorah Yeshiva in Baltimore. Both new students insist

that they are here for academics and nice Jewish

schoolmates and not for basketball glory, but we figure it

can't hurt! Bruchim ha-ba'im, newbies: we're happy

you're here.

Model U.N. Counts Down to NYC

The CJHS Model U.N. blog is up and running! Our

nationally

recognized team is

continuing where

they left off last

year, with freshman

Eli Schrayer

signing in with his

thoughts as a first-

year member. This

year's schedule and

committee

assignments are

posted on the top of the page; the team hopes to add

some more posts and pictures prior to their departure in

two weeks. Start the diplomatic review at

http://cjhsmun.wordpress.com.

Chag Purim Sameach

A freilichen Purim to all of our

merry readers! Volunteering in

the community on Purim has

always been a central

component of how CJHS

celebrates Purim, giving gifts of

time both toward short-term

and systemic change in our

society. This Monday

afternoon, we will be dispersing

to five separate locations to

serve the community.

Freshmen will be running Purim

carnivals and Bingo games at

Gidwitz Place for Assisted

Living and CJE SeniorLife in Evanston. Sophomores will

be stocking food pantries at the ARK, while juniors will

learn about homelessness and canvas El stations with the

Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. The senior class will

join CJHS parent Mr. Ralph Schwartz and Webster Middle

School in Waukegan for our annual "Freedom Riders" film

festival and communication forum. Check your email for

details about your student's project!

Alumni in the News

Mazal tov to Elli Cohn ('09),

the first CJHS graduate to be accepted

into rabbinical school! Elli had her

interview at the Jewish Theological

Seminary on Tuesday, and five years from

now, she will be a rabbi. Elli is now working

full time for the Masorti Foundation (the

Conservative Movement in Israel) and

teaching religious school at the Stephen

Wise Free Synagogue three afternoons a week. Congratulations, Elli: we couldn't be prouder!

Alumni Trivia

For all you

Vegan

hamantaschen

lovers, you may

have some new

converts this

year: several of

our staff have

gone Vegan for

the month in

hopes of

cultivating good

health and reducing their carbon footprints. Which CJHS

musical star has also recently gone Vegan without losing

any of her dance-major energy?

Tikkun Olam Corner

Thank you to everybody who contributed to the pet

supplies drive for Orphans of the Storm, a local animal

shelter. The donations will soon be brought over to the

shelter and will be greatly appreciated by the many dogs

and cats who reside there. Another drive is coming up this

March, and we will release more information about it

soon!

The weekly installation of "I am Congo", a video-series

documenting the lives of various Congolese people,

focuses on Petna Ndaliko, a artist who leads film and

music programs for Congolese youths. Click here to watch.

Spoken Word Workshop: The Prints

A few years ago, the documentary film Louder than a

Bomb captivated the imaginations of Prints students. The

film follows the journeys of four high school students as

they write and perform poetry for Chicago's annual poetry

slam competition. Prints students have been inspired by

the art of spoken

word ever since.

This year, the Prints

is proud to

announce that Adam

Gottlieb, one of the

film's featured

performers, is

coming to speak and

to lead CJHS

students in a spoken word workshop. Adam's program will

take place on Thursday February 28, from 5:00 to 6:30

p.m. We have a number of open slots and hope you will

join us. If you are interested, please let Ada Moses know.

In preparation for Adam's visit, the Prints screened the

first part of Louder than a Bomb during FPLA this week.

Students from many other FPLA classes joined. Both

audience and movie were wonderful. We will be watching

the film's conclusion on Tuesday during lunch in the Beit

Knesset. Please plan to join us. You will be excited to see

the final rounds of the LTAB slam festival. Find out who

"wins" and learn what Adam, Lamar, Nova and Nate do after graduating high school.

Cell Phones for Shalva

Bring your old cell phones to the Cell Phone Drop Box in the

office. By doing so, you will be supporting Shalva and providing

critical support to Jewish survivors of abuse. Recycle that old phone and

do a mitzvah!

Jazz Band Concert

CJHS is proud to be part of TUNED-IN, the teen music

showcase to benefit RESPONSE. This organization services

over 13,000 young people and their families each year,

empowering teens to make healthy life choices. This

year's concert will take place at Glenbrook North High

School on March 2 at 8:00 p.m. with a dessert reception

at 7:30 p.m. For information, please contact Mr. Scher or

RESPONSE at 224.625.2922.

Listen For...

The Roar!

Coming soon to a yearbook near you!

Save the Date: Wagner Institute

Join us at

"Creating a Just Society" The Isidor and Rose Wagner Institute for Leadership

Development of The Jewish Theological Seminary

in partnership with Chicagoland Jewish High School

Featuring JTS Chancellor Arnold M. Eisen

Sunday, April 21 - Monday, April 22

Sponsored Breakfast

Happy birthday to Jorian Rosenmertz and

Aitan Licht. Many thanks to their families

for sponsoring breakfast.

Alumni Trivia

Maddie Klein ('10),

consummate Vegan as of 2013,

starred as Sandy in Grease!

and led the pronoun safari in

Schoolhouse Rock. She reports

from Oberlin, where she is a

dance major and considering

an English or art history minor.

"I'm a busy human being... just

like everyone! I am

negotiating work, dance, class,

and sleep, to find a sustainable

balance. These days, I am

working on my dance major,

which means I'm taking four

dance classes a week, participating in several other

students' dance projects, and choreographing for two

upcoming performances. I will be in a total of five dance

performances this semester, which is almost insanity!"

Break a leg, Maddie!

A Taste of Torah: Hester Panim

The name of God is not found in the megillah; in his introduction to the megillah, the Ibn Ezra put forward a perfectly logical explanation. From his

vantage point at the crossroads of Catholic and Muslim Spain, Ibn Ezra observed that official documents bearing greetings in the name of the Trinity were translated into Arabic with the name of Allah and vice versa: he surmises that in the Persian

Empire, edicts were regularly translated, "in the name of [insert local deity here]" by local translators who valued piety over

strict accuracy and wished to promulgate the royal message

without sparking cries of heresy. Mordechai, the Ibn Ezra believes, omitted the name of our God on purpose so that God's holy being should not be sullied by Achashverosh's scribes with

the names of local idols. "Ha mevin, yavin," as the Ibn Ezra was fond of saying--those in the know will surely understand. When Mordechai tells Esther, "revach v'hatzala yavo la-Yehudim miMAKOM acher," salvation will arise for our people from another place, Jewish readers will surely recognize the Makom, the Omnipresent: one of our beloved names for God.

Tradition identifies the principle of hester panim, alienation from the Divine, from the verse: "But I [God] will surely conceal my face

[haster astir panai] on that day for all of the evil that they have done--for they turned to other gods. (Deuteronomy 31:18)." The

connection between "hester" and "Esther" is clear even in the Hebrew, and the Talmud encourages us to do as Esther did, seeking the hidden hand of God even in the darkest times

when neither God's name nor God's presence can be seen. Esther used her faith, her cleverness, and her courage to answer the call of a God who could not be found. And we? If we are

silent at this critical juncture, salvation will arise for our people from the hands of the Omnipresent, while we and the ways of our culture are lost--and who knows, was it not for a time

such as this that God blessed us

with leadership potential, creature comforts, and the power to make a difference? --Shira Eliaser

משנכנס אדר מרבין בשמחה

Candlelighting will be at 5:14 p.m. Shabbat

shalom, and happy Purim!